Thai government marks 9-9-9 date for ninth Chakri king

Sep 9, 2009, 3:24 GMT

   Bangkok - The Thai government and people at 9:09 am on the auspicious date of the ninth day of the ninth month of 2009 paid their respects to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth monarch in the Chakri Dynasty.

   Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva led his cabinet and hundreds of high-ranking military officers and civil servants Wednesday in singing the royal anthem at Government House, the seat of the administration, to mark the auspicious time and day.

   The number 999 denotes 'going forward' for Thais.

   Similar ceremonies were held by Thais nationwide.

   'We want to draw attention to the charisma of the king, both domestically and internationally,' Abhisit said of the occasion.

   'During his 63-year reign, the king has helped to solve the country's problems for the people,' he added, highlighting Bhumibol's more than 3,000 royally initiated projects aimed at reducing rural poverty, boosting agriculture and encouraging 'sufficiency economics,' a development strategy that urges farmers to make the most of local inputs and avoid debt.

   During his long reign, the king, 81, has been deemed a stabilizing force in the hurly-burly of Thailand's tempestuous politics and numerous military coups and a unifier of the people.

   The institution of the monarchy has been under unusual pressure for the past three years as various protest groups and politicians have tried to draw it into a deep political divide between supporters and detractors of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in September 2006.

   Thaksin, a billionaire businessman turned politician, used populist policies during his two terms from 2001 to 2006, to win backing from Thailand's rural and urban poor that he used to justify his increasingly autocratic rule that eventually antagonized Thailand's political elite, leading to his downfall.